Review of The Soldier and The Orphan

[Chinaza Nnabuenyi]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Soldier and The Orphan" by Alastair Henry.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Alastair Henry's The Soldier and the Orphan: Separated by Church and War is an intriguing story of two brothers. They suffer the dire consequences of fanaticism and the aftermath of a war they know nothing about. While Williams Jones enjoys motherly love and care, Thomas Jones is transferred from one memorial home to the other, living as a 'waif and stray.' The church and the governing system won't help. They rather help sever the tiny cord that holds Billy and Tommy together, thus pushing them further apart. The brothers, not having set eye on each other since birth and in hot pursuit of a sense of belonging, plunged into the vast sea of life in a relentless search for each other to solve the hard puzzles that beclouded their lives. Will they ever reunite again? Why would they have to thread the path of obscurity to find purpose in life?

This beautiful story hits on love, religious fanaticism, war, intrigues, and human nature. I enjoyed the tone the author used in reeling out his thematic structures. He speaks in an easy-to-understand language. Amongst all the characters, my favorite is Mary Jones. I watched Mary grow from naivety to being an audacious go-getter. Her approach to life fascinates me. She is not one whose spirit is easily broken, and her convictions are as high as the heavens. I loved when she spoke up for Ted Hart before her boy, Williams. Although she knew Ted was married, she held firm to her convictions about his love for her. Little wonder her boys take after her resilience, kind-heartedness, and empathy.

The story's structure shows that the author knows his onions in storytelling. The story begins from the middle (pre-climax of events) back to the beginning(apt exposition), where it all started, and finally to the tale's end (outcome), where conflicts are resolved. It was a suitable ending that matched the order of events. The author meticulously expounds the actions of each major character, like John, Billy, Tommy, Mary, and the like. I would love to see this story play out in motion pictures someday. It's a masterpiece!

Another character I admire is Thomas Jones (Tommy) and his hilarious Quebecois accent that cracked up little Loise, Patricia, Frank Therin, and Albert Mathers. His ability to adapt easily to circumstances is stunning. I would love to know if Charles Gibson ever got to have a family, as Tommy and Billy had. I'm describing this book this way because I want the reader to know how blissful it was reading through it.

To my understanding, the book is educative, emotional, and interesting. I didn't regret reading it, as it had no negative content. Although a handful of errors were spotted, it surely didn't hinder my jolly reading, and I firmly assert that the book was professionally edited.

The Soldier and the Orphan: Separated by Church and War by Alastair Henry deserves a rating of four out of four stars. This beautiful story is open to those who like intriguing stories, but it's particularly for ardent lovers of historical novels with war and romance undertones.

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The Soldier and The Orphan
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[Wren Michaels]

This book seems to have many loveable characters. Your review was well-written and detailed

[AlessandraMass]

This Is a fantastic review of, apparently, a fantastic book.
It made me want to get It and read It as soon as possibile!
Great job!